Q I went to the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and they were fantastic. The transport worked well and I can still see the smiling faces on helpful Aussie volunteers. One week into London 2012, do you feel like our Games will match my Australian experience?

A “It will be a nightmare,” said my taxi driver ten days ago. “If you can’t go in an Olympic lane you will never get where you want to go”

We went to the Basketball arena expecting the worst. Our train from St. Pancras took seven minutes and we were greeted by several smiling volunteers keen to help. Security was swift (much more pleasant than Heathrow) and after a short walk past The Aquatic Centre we were in the Olympic Park, which is much more spectacular than Sydney.

The sign said it was a 30 minutes walk to basketball, further than my wife’s new hips like to handle. We found another helpful volunteer. “Leave it to me,” she said. “I’ll get you a buggy”. Thanks to her we had a comfortable trip round the park, where the landscaping and wild flowers are as stunning as the venues.

It has been the same every day. Fencing, weightlifting, beach volleyball and gymnastics. Docklands Light Railway and the River Bus – it all works.

It is unfair to whinge about the odd flag flown upside down or even the number of empty seats. The accredited seating was sparsely occupied at Sydney – I understand about 15pc go to sponsors and officials – the Olympic family is too dysfunctional to be trusted with so many tickets. At least their absence gave over 100 soldiers the chance to watch the British girls play beach volleyball.

It is a fantastic achievement, an admirable example of management at its best. I particularly admire the motivation of the volunteers – thousands of temporary staff working unsocial hours without pay and delivering great service.

I can’t say the competition has been great for cobblers. The country appears to have taken to the television instead of shopping and, judging by our sales in The City, Londoners have stayed out of town (taxi drivers claim business has halved). When the cyclists raced through Walton on Thames our shop lost 75pc of its normal takings. But perhaps a couple of weeks of bad business is a small price to pay for hosting the biggest show on earth.

Let’s do something unusual and applaud the management team that have pulled it off – no one should complain if they receive a big bonus – it is the right way to say “Well done!”

Q Following last year’s riots, three quarters of those taken to court had a previous conviction, many of them are trapped in a cycle of reoffending. Getting a job is a key way out of criminal behaviour. How can we persuade more companies to take a chance on people who’ve made mistakes?

A I didn’t realise how much a job matters until we started employing people from prison. Ex-offenders are more than three times likely to be back in court if they are unemployed. You note that 76pc of last year’s rioters had a previous conviction and I understand a high proportion were out of work.

Obviously the economic downturn doesn’t help, but don’t blame the recession. Too many children grow up in a family living off benefits, where a regular job is not part of their culture. Lack of skills is another problem, but business should not sit back and blame education; today it is even possible for a company to set up a new free school to help train the talents of future recruits.

I am delighted that more schools are making enterprise part of the curriculum. I recently heard of a shining example in Darwen, Lancashire, where the Academy is helping students to set up in business.

Your question particularly points to another problem. Most recruiters won’t consider a candidate with a criminal record. One female ex-offender, who had been imprisoned for a serious driving offence, recently told me: “I deserved to be sentenced, but I didn’t realise I would continue to be punished for the rest of my life. Every time I file my criminal record when applying for a mortgage, a loan or a job, I know I will probably be rejected.”

Most companies won’t employ former offenders. We are happy to recruit people from prison as long as they have the potential to be a superstar. We don’t bother about CVs – we recruit on personality. It may seem like a big ask, but you don’t have to do it alone. Charities such as Business in the Community help companies to reach people with multiple barriers to employment, including homeless, care leavers and some who carry a criminal conviction. Business leaders can help create a greater work ethic in this country. We should applaud schools that properly prepare pupils for work and play our part by providing comprehensive apprenticeships. Recruitment shouldn’t be dominated by a set of rules. We need to give a chance to people with the right attitude whatever it says on their CV.